I am Legend follow-up moves forward without Smith

CB Droege, 17th June 2012

Warner Bros. is currently developing a new movie to continue the story of I am Legend, but the studio may just have to find a way to do it without the star of the first film.

We don’t know what the plans are for the plot of this film yet. It’s still in the writing phase, and no official synopses have gone out over the wires, so wheather it’ll be a prequel, sequel, or sidequel, is all just conjecture right now.

What we do know for sure is that when Warners made the first film five years ago, they did not have Will Smith sign a multi-picture deal, so they likely did not have a franchise in mind. However, with the recent great success of genre franchises, it’s really no surprise that the studio has decided to give it a shot.

In a recent interview with BBC News Will Smith said that "Producers are working on [a new I Am Legend film]. I’m not actually working on it." When asked if he would consider taking the lead role in the project, he said, "Probably not."

Of course, considering the end of the first film, it would likely need to be a prequel for that character to remain in the story, but that’s not the reason Smith is against the idea. "I don’t want to be the sequel guy." He joked, "I figure I’ve got about six or seven more years where I can run and jump a little bit and then I’m going butt and gut for the rest of my career. Butt and gut."

When asked why then he was willing to do Men in Black 3, he responded, "People love [Men in Black]" hinting that perhaps he would do a sequel for another film of his if there was popular fan support for it, while also possibly insinuating that he doesn’t think there would be much love from fans for an I am Legend franchise.

The untitled I Am Legend follow-up is currently in development. No production or release dates have been announced.